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Series 8: 13. Zurich
In Zurich, Michael Portillo has a brush with the absurd in the anarchic paintings and artistic haunts of the Dadaists, a group of artists who found refuge in the city during the First World War.\n\nHe visits the impressive Grossmunster Church to find out about the rebellious pastor at the centre of the Swiss Reformation and studies the 500-year-old Froschauer Bible, the earliest German-language bible in the world.\n\nA new way of making chocolate is taking hold in the home of confectionery. Michael learns what it takes to be part of the Swiss Bean to Bar movement.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 13. Zurich
In Zurich, Michael Portillo has a brush with the absurd in the anarchic paintings and artistic haunts of the Dadaists, a group of artists who found refuge in the city during the ...
24-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 12. Sedrun To Schwyz
Michael Portillo ventures into the bowels of an immense hydroelectric dam to learn how the Swiss use their mountainous environment to power the country.\n\nHe winds his way by r ...
23-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 11. Maienfeld To The Rhine Gorge
Michael Portillo is transported 150 years back in time to the tiny Alpine village home of Switzerland’s most famous child, Heidi. In Davos, he follows in the footsteps of ...
22-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 10. Roskilde To Copenhagen
Michael Portillo concludes his epic rail journey across southern Norway, the Jutland Peninsula and the Danish archipelago. He crosses one of Europe’s epic rail engineering ...
19-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 9. Aarhus To Odense
Michael Portillo’s Scandinavian rail adventure reaches Denmark’s second city, Aarhus, an architectural playground with dazzling contemporary buildings set alongside ...
18-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 8. Larvik To Holstebro
Michael Portillo’s saga through Norway and Denmark resumes in Larvik on Norway’s southern coast, where he investigates the city’s prized natural resource, a di ...
17-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 7. Myrdal To Heddal
Michael Portillo’s rail journey continues on the Bergen Line, heading towards the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Carving through the mountains across some of Europe’s mo ...
16-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 6. Bergen To Flåm
Michael Portillo embarks on a Scandinavian railway adventure from the Norwegian port of Bergen to the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Spectacular scenery lines his route along two ...
15-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 5. Mostar To Dubrovnik
Michael Portillo is on the last stretch of his railway adventure through the Balkan countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. He enjoys a helter-skelter journey on the hi ...
12-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 4. Sarajevo
In Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael Portillo traces the fateful last journey in 1914 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, which ended in the ...
11-06-2026
BBC 2
Most popular episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 12. Budapest
Exploring the capital city by tram, Michael Portillo travels to the extraordinary open-air museum of Memento Park in the suburbs. He discovers how a collection of imposing Sovie ...
28-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 7. Brussels To Ghent
Michael Portillo’s Belgian rail journey continues in the Dutch speaking region of Flanders.\n\nIn Antwerp, he discovers the city's historic multibillion-pound diamond indu ...
03-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 11. Sopron To Keleti
Michael Portillo begins his Hungarian adventure in the far north west of the country in the town of Sopron. He learns how a picnic for European unity on the Austrian border attr ...
27-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 7 (shortened Versions): Episode 2
Michael continues his rail journey through Spain with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide. At the Museo Reina Sofia, Michael hears how the bombing of a small town in the Basque reg ...
24-06-2024
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 8. Knokke-heist To Bruges
Continuing his Belgian tour, Michael Portillo heads to the beach resort of Knokke-Heist and the world’s longest coastal tram, which enjoys splendid views across the North ...
04-06-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 5. Vivario To Corte
Michael Portillo’s Mediterranean railway adventure reaches its finale in Corsica as he boards one of Europe’s most dramatic railways, which winds through the island& ...
22-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 6. St Pancras To Brussels
Michael boards the Eurostar at London’s St Pancras International, bound for the Belgian capital, Brussels.\n\nIn the city centre’s sumptuous Theatre Royal, he learns ...
26-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 1. Cagliari To Porto Flavia
Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning railway adventure through the western Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica, beginning in Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari.\n\nM ...
19-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 2. Mandas To Laconi
Michael Portillo’s railway tour of Sardinia heads inland towards the island's dramatic mountain landscapes, which he discovers were frequented by DH Lawrence, who is rever ...
20-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 4. Ajaccio To Vizzavona
Michael Portillo’s railway journey through the islands of Sardinia and Corsica sees him leave Sardinia and arrive into Corsica, the most mountainous island in the Mediterr ...
22-05-2026
BBC 2